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National Literacy Trust

Charity Overview

The National Literacy Trust is the UK’s largest independent literacy charity working to transform lives through literacy. Their mission is to ensure that disadvantaged children and young people in the UK have the literacy skills (reading, writing, speaking and listening) needed for education and to lead a successful life. They believe that literacy is a vital element of action against poverty that increases employability and earning potential.

 

 

Project Summary

With the support of ICAP Charity Day, the National Literacy Trust created the Words for Work: Dream Big programme to help children aged four to six develop their literacy skills and imagine their futures.

All children in my class now feel they can be whatever they aspire to be.
Teacher, Howard Primary School

This year, 175,000 five-year-olds started primary school without the literacy, language and communication skills expected for their age. This is a gap most children will never recover from and one which doubles their chances of being unemployed in their thirties.

The Dream Big programme gave the children who are usually shy or quiet a chance to speak about and experience new and different things.
Headteacher, Vauxhall Primary School

Words for Work: Dream Big addresses this challenge through a variety of interactive play and skills-building activities designed to raise children’s aspirations, challenge gender stereotypes and demonstrate how the speaking, listening, reading and writing skills children learn in school will help them when they’re older.

Resources provided were great and captivated the children's attention immediately.
Teacher, Vauxhall Primary School

Thanks to our donation, the programme has been delivered in 15 schools in some of the most deprived boroughs in London, helping to improve the literacy skills and aspirations of 445 children who need it most. We trained 26 teachers and 106 volunteers on the programme.

Together, ICAP and the National Literacy Trust have improved the literacy and communication skills of hundreds of primary school children across London and helped them imagine their futures. The partnership has also provided a range of invaluable literacy and careers resources, training and support to teachers and schools who can benefit from it the most.

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